Hey all,
We are finishing off the Month of February with the BBC's Coffeehouse Porter on our guest tap. This beer has a big coffee aromatic and flavor that complements the dry slightly roasty Porter base beer. We are trying to prep you tongue's for Kate by having the BBC Coffee house porter as well as the our Oatmeal Stout on.
Tick...Tock... Kate's on her way.
Cheers,
Tyler
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Plan for this Year's Kate Day - Monday March 7, 2011
Many of you have inquired about how our Kate Day festivities are going to play out this year. Here's the rundown:
• We plan to open our doors and begin seating people at 11:00 that morning. Both upstairs and downstairs will be open. (The patio probably won't be, since it's still buried under several feet of snow as of this writing.)
• Similarly to last year, we'll usher in groups of about 50 folks at a time, spaced about 15 minutes apart, until all seats are filled. Staggering our initial seating in this manner assures that service, food and beer flow smoothly throughout the day. Those of you with experience working in restaurants will understand how this works. For the rest of you, please trust us - we have your best interest at heart. Our highest priority on Kate Day is to provide the finest hospitality possible.
• In order to help the line move quickly, there will be community seating at all tables, so you may have an opportunity to make some new friends.
• The official Kate tapping will take place at 11:30 am.
• Draft Kate will be poured in 10-ounce servings, priced at $7.50 a glass.
• Kate will be served until it runs out, and we really don't know when that will be.
• Tasty lunch and snack specials will be offered.
• Our retail store will open at 9:00 am.
• We will draw the Second Chance Contest winner at around 3:00 that afternoon.
• Holders of winning scratch tickets may purchase their bottles of Kate on any day from March 7 (Kate Day) through April 15.
• No brewery tours will be offered on Kate Day. Our sister company, Smuttynose Brewing, will offer special tours of its facility on Heritage Avenue starting at 2:00 that day. (Please refrain from showing up there early, lest you be press-ganged into cleaning the dark, scary corners of the Smuttynose warehouse.)
• Our staff, as always, is serious about providing responsible service of alcohol. Please be respectful of them, especially if they determine that you've been served enough.
So there you have it. We look forward to seeing you on Kate Day, March 7, 2011.
• We plan to open our doors and begin seating people at 11:00 that morning. Both upstairs and downstairs will be open. (The patio probably won't be, since it's still buried under several feet of snow as of this writing.)
• Similarly to last year, we'll usher in groups of about 50 folks at a time, spaced about 15 minutes apart, until all seats are filled. Staggering our initial seating in this manner assures that service, food and beer flow smoothly throughout the day. Those of you with experience working in restaurants will understand how this works. For the rest of you, please trust us - we have your best interest at heart. Our highest priority on Kate Day is to provide the finest hospitality possible.
• In order to help the line move quickly, there will be community seating at all tables, so you may have an opportunity to make some new friends.
• The official Kate tapping will take place at 11:30 am.
• Draft Kate will be poured in 10-ounce servings, priced at $7.50 a glass.
• Kate will be served until it runs out, and we really don't know when that will be.
• Tasty lunch and snack specials will be offered.
• Our retail store will open at 9:00 am.
• We will draw the Second Chance Contest winner at around 3:00 that afternoon.
• Holders of winning scratch tickets may purchase their bottles of Kate on any day from March 7 (Kate Day) through April 15.
• No brewery tours will be offered on Kate Day. Our sister company, Smuttynose Brewing, will offer special tours of its facility on Heritage Avenue starting at 2:00 that day. (Please refrain from showing up there early, lest you be press-ganged into cleaning the dark, scary corners of the Smuttynose warehouse.)
• Our staff, as always, is serious about providing responsible service of alcohol. Please be respectful of them, especially if they determine that you've been served enough.
So there you have it. We look forward to seeing you on Kate Day, March 7, 2011.
We found the paddle...
Hey all,
So the Flanders Lambic Kriek Blend is ready! It settled out and tastes amazing. The aged sour beer that was blended in gives such a nice mellow sour flavor and the woodsy aromatic/flavor from the Lambicus is there just in time to be run out with a lingering tart cherry flavor.
We have a very limited quantity of this beer so we will be doing draft only. So drink one of these as you are filling your Alt Growler.
Cheers,
Tyler
So the Flanders Lambic Kriek Blend is ready! It settled out and tastes amazing. The aged sour beer that was blended in gives such a nice mellow sour flavor and the woodsy aromatic/flavor from the Lambicus is there just in time to be run out with a lingering tart cherry flavor.
We have a very limited quantity of this beer so we will be doing draft only. So drink one of these as you are filling your Alt Growler.
Cheers,
Tyler
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Making the Rocket...
Hey all,
So I hope you all had a great Valentines Day. Plus, for those of you that made it in here I hope you got to try the Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Love Bomb that was on cask yesterday. By the fact that it kicked in a day i am guessing that you guys like it.
It is true, we are making the Bottle Rocket IPA today. Join us in the brew house is our special guest Rachel Forrest so it is going to be extra de-lish.
OK, back to work
Cheers,
Tyler
So I hope you all had a great Valentines Day. Plus, for those of you that made it in here I hope you got to try the Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Love Bomb that was on cask yesterday. By the fact that it kicked in a day i am guessing that you guys like it.
It is true, we are making the Bottle Rocket IPA today. Join us in the brew house is our special guest Rachel Forrest so it is going to be extra de-lish.
OK, back to work
Cheers,
Tyler
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My Schwarz is bigger then yours...
Hey all,
so while we let the Flanders blend settle lets put on a beer on that line. We have our Schwarz bier ready to rock. This is a German black lager that though dark in color doesn't have any of the acridness that you would normally associate with a beer of similar color. A nice easy drinking lager beer.
I know what you are thinking, why all these lagers in the winter? Well because this is the only time we have enough breathing room in the production schedule to get lagers in. So come on in and enjoy this one while you can.
cheers,
Tyler
so while we let the Flanders blend settle lets put on a beer on that line. We have our Schwarz bier ready to rock. This is a German black lager that though dark in color doesn't have any of the acridness that you would normally associate with a beer of similar color. A nice easy drinking lager beer.
I know what you are thinking, why all these lagers in the winter? Well because this is the only time we have enough breathing room in the production schedule to get lagers in. So come on in and enjoy this one while you can.
cheers,
Tyler
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The most perfectly titled post ever...
Hey all,
My previous post was called "Up a Kriek sans Paddle" which is where the Kriek is as the moment. Well the truth is that all the blending caused the very powdery Belgian yeast that we used in the Flanders to get all stirred up. So now all we can do is wait until the yeast settles in the serving tank. So all you sour beer fans are just going to have to wait a little bit.
cheers,
Tyler
My previous post was called "Up a Kriek sans Paddle" which is where the Kriek is as the moment. Well the truth is that all the blending caused the very powdery Belgian yeast that we used in the Flanders to get all stirred up. So now all we can do is wait until the yeast settles in the serving tank. So all you sour beer fans are just going to have to wait a little bit.
cheers,
Tyler
Up the Kriek sans Paddle...
Hey all,
So yesterday Tod an I noticed that there was only about a bbl of the Flanders Red left. That means that it is time to do some blending! :) So We kegged off some of this years Flanders Red to let age in kegs so we will be able to do this again in the future. So after kegging off what we needed to age, we blending in a 3 year old sour Brune and a year old Flanders Red that were both aged with Lambicus. Lambicus is a very unique yeast strain that is found the in natural microflora of Belgium. This yeast give a sour/tart character as it ferments. Adding these to the beer makes this as close to a traditional Lambic style beer that we can make. Now along with the two aged beers we also added some Tart Cherry concentrate to give that back note of tart cherry flavor to the beer as well. So after all of this is said and done we now have our Flanders Kreik Lambic Blend on tap.
Definitely worth a trip in to try this one!
cheers,
Tyler
So yesterday Tod an I noticed that there was only about a bbl of the Flanders Red left. That means that it is time to do some blending! :) So We kegged off some of this years Flanders Red to let age in kegs so we will be able to do this again in the future. So after kegging off what we needed to age, we blending in a 3 year old sour Brune and a year old Flanders Red that were both aged with Lambicus. Lambicus is a very unique yeast strain that is found the in natural microflora of Belgium. This yeast give a sour/tart character as it ferments. Adding these to the beer makes this as close to a traditional Lambic style beer that we can make. Now along with the two aged beers we also added some Tart Cherry concentrate to give that back note of tart cherry flavor to the beer as well. So after all of this is said and done we now have our Flanders Kreik Lambic Blend on tap.
Definitely worth a trip in to try this one!
cheers,
Tyler
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Back from Belgium.
Greetings beer lovers!
Looks like a lot has "gone down" in the 7 days I was away visiting the Struise brewers in West Flanders, Belgium. I had the unique opportunity to brew with one of the best brewers in Belgium Urbain Coutteau of the Struise Brouwers. The brewery they use, Deca, pre-dates World War 1 and yet these guys finesse some of the most sought after beers in the world. Pannepot is perhaps the most well know but they produce many styles including Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout at 13% abv!! I brought my Kate the Great recipe over and with a little tweaking we brewed a batch of KtG at Deca. The brewery has a mash tun made of cast iron, copper and stainless with an antique rake/mixing system equipment (to say the least). I have some video which I will try to edit and post this week so you can see what the Struise brewers are dealing with. Back to the brew with Kate.... the extract came out of the mash tun well and the boil, also, went well. We had to substitute some European hops for American varieties as Urbain does not use many American hops, so Kate is going to be a little different than what we make here. We used a "Chico" style yeast as well as some "Fullers" style yeast. Soon Urbain will pitch some of the Struise house strain to give KtG a bit of Belgium character. Kate was quite lonely sitting in Fermentation vat #1 all alone so Urbain was kind enough to brew a batch of Albert the following day to keep Kate company in Fermentation vat#2. Who knows what might happen next!!? Kabert perhaps? We'll have to wait a few months to see the outcome of maturation.
Anyway, it looks like Tyler and Tyson kept the beers flowing while I was away. The 5 C's was a huge success (go figure!) as was the Biere de Garde which have gone. So now the Alt and Kolsch are flowing and are quite delicious. Two different German style ales that both were conditioned for a good amount of time. The Kolsch, lighter in color and flavor, is delicate and crisp; whereas, the Alt is more full bodied and malty as well as finishing quite dry. We did use the same yeast to ferment both beers. Check them out soon as I am sure they will not be around too long!! Next up we have the Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Lost Sailor IPA as one of guest taps for two weeks to be followed by the Cabin Fever ale. The Lost Sailor is a well made malt forward IPA with lots of mid flavor hops and good hop aromatics making for a great drinking IPA.
Lastly (on my "to talk about" before I go to Sunday school ) is the Kate the Great ticket sales came and went faster than greased lightning! I know many people are not happy with the outcome of what we thought would be a unique and fair opportunity for people to have a chance of procuring a bottle or two of Kate. Sadly, not everybody can win. There are only 900 bottles available. That is all there is and will be. We have no more space available to expand the brewery and therefore have a finite space to make as much beer as we can.
Well, that's all I've got for now. Cheers! Tod
Looks like a lot has "gone down" in the 7 days I was away visiting the Struise brewers in West Flanders, Belgium. I had the unique opportunity to brew with one of the best brewers in Belgium Urbain Coutteau of the Struise Brouwers. The brewery they use, Deca, pre-dates World War 1 and yet these guys finesse some of the most sought after beers in the world. Pannepot is perhaps the most well know but they produce many styles including Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout at 13% abv!! I brought my Kate the Great recipe over and with a little tweaking we brewed a batch of KtG at Deca. The brewery has a mash tun made of cast iron, copper and stainless with an antique rake/mixing system equipment (to say the least). I have some video which I will try to edit and post this week so you can see what the Struise brewers are dealing with. Back to the brew with Kate.... the extract came out of the mash tun well and the boil, also, went well. We had to substitute some European hops for American varieties as Urbain does not use many American hops, so Kate is going to be a little different than what we make here. We used a "Chico" style yeast as well as some "Fullers" style yeast. Soon Urbain will pitch some of the Struise house strain to give KtG a bit of Belgium character. Kate was quite lonely sitting in Fermentation vat #1 all alone so Urbain was kind enough to brew a batch of Albert the following day to keep Kate company in Fermentation vat#2. Who knows what might happen next!!? Kabert perhaps? We'll have to wait a few months to see the outcome of maturation.
Anyway, it looks like Tyler and Tyson kept the beers flowing while I was away. The 5 C's was a huge success (go figure!) as was the Biere de Garde which have gone. So now the Alt and Kolsch are flowing and are quite delicious. Two different German style ales that both were conditioned for a good amount of time. The Kolsch, lighter in color and flavor, is delicate and crisp; whereas, the Alt is more full bodied and malty as well as finishing quite dry. We did use the same yeast to ferment both beers. Check them out soon as I am sure they will not be around too long!! Next up we have the Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Lost Sailor IPA as one of guest taps for two weeks to be followed by the Cabin Fever ale. The Lost Sailor is a well made malt forward IPA with lots of mid flavor hops and good hop aromatics making for a great drinking IPA.
Lastly (on my "to talk about" before I go to Sunday school ) is the Kate the Great ticket sales came and went faster than greased lightning! I know many people are not happy with the outcome of what we thought would be a unique and fair opportunity for people to have a chance of procuring a bottle or two of Kate. Sadly, not everybody can win. There are only 900 bottles available. That is all there is and will be. We have no more space available to expand the brewery and therefore have a finite space to make as much beer as we can.
Well, that's all I've got for now. Cheers! Tod
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Kolsch & BBC is on for Feb
Hey all,
So the double batch of 5 C's IPA was drank at a great clip. I hope you enjoyed that fact that is lasted longer then it had been in the past because of the 14 bbls we made this time. We have replaced it with our Kolsch.(sorry i cant figure out how to put the umlaut [this thing ¨] over the O)
The Kolsch is a German ale that is lagered that is traditionally brewed in Cologne Germany. This beer is extremely light in body but with a great grassy/floral/German hop flavor. Very, very drinkable and very delectable. So for the guest tap line for the month of February we are going to have Berkshire Brewing Company showcased. The first on tap is their Lost Sailor IPA. It is a great example of a British influenced American IPA. At 5.5% ABV is very drinkable IPA. You get a hit of malt in the front that goes to some nice citrus flavors mid palette, then a nice British earthy hop linger. Great to see a Brewery pay homage to the original style that made the journey from England to India around Cape Horn.
cheers,
Tyler
So the double batch of 5 C's IPA was drank at a great clip. I hope you enjoyed that fact that is lasted longer then it had been in the past because of the 14 bbls we made this time. We have replaced it with our Kolsch.(sorry i cant figure out how to put the umlaut [this thing ¨] over the O)
The Kolsch is a German ale that is lagered that is traditionally brewed in Cologne Germany. This beer is extremely light in body but with a great grassy/floral/German hop flavor. Very, very drinkable and very delectable. So for the guest tap line for the month of February we are going to have Berkshire Brewing Company showcased. The first on tap is their Lost Sailor IPA. It is a great example of a British influenced American IPA. At 5.5% ABV is very drinkable IPA. You get a hit of malt in the front that goes to some nice citrus flavors mid palette, then a nice British earthy hop linger. Great to see a Brewery pay homage to the original style that made the journey from England to India around Cape Horn.
cheers,
Tyler
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